If Rotten Tomatoes is your gauge for how good a show is, you might be surprised to learn that Band of Brothers is no longer at the top of the World War II pile. Band of Brothers has long been considered the definitive World War II TV show, as well as one of the greatest miniseries ever.
The real story of the 101st Airborne’s assault on Europe to end the war is captured in moving clarity. It’s been a part of pop culture for 25 years, and the upcoming making-of retrospective, Band of Brothers: Legacy, is an example of how the series has still fascinated and entertained viewers for over two decades.
A series of its stature should have a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, presumably. Well, that’s not how things always shake out on the review site. At the moment, Band of Brothers currently has a 94% with critics. It’s still an excellent score, and Rotten Tomatoes isn’t the last word. If it were, SAS: Rogue Heroes would be considered the greatest WWII show.
SAS: Rogue Heroes currently has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, giving it an edge over the HBO show. It’s doubly impressive considering there are two seasons of the show with perfect critics’ scores. The series from Peaky Blinders creator Stephen Knight depicts the real-life origins of the British Army Special Air Service.
The series begins in North Africa, focusing on the creation of the unit, and in season 2, the show moves to the early SAS’s endeavors in Italy. Witty, fascinating, and a lot of fun, SAS: Rogue Heroes is not at all what Band of Brothers is, perhaps why they don’t share the same perfect RT scores, but they’re both worthy watches.
SAS: Rogue Heroes Has A Slight Edge Over Band Of Brothers
SAS: Rogue Heroes has the Rotten Tomatoes edge over Band of Brothers, and undoubtedly, Band of Brothers is not a perfect show. It’s about as good as they come, but even the greatest shows of all time have a few knocks. Remember that freeze-frame of Carmela (Edie Falco) in The Sopranos?
So it’s not completely unreasonable that Band of Brothers doesn’t have a perfect score. SAS: Rogue Heroes‘ perfect score is likely partially a result of the show being much newer, premiering in 2022, and also not being as widely available as Band of Brothers. SAS was only recently made available on Amazon Prime.
The two seasons of SAS: Rogue Heroes have a combined 24 critic reviews, whereas one season of Band of Brothers has 34 critic reviews, almost double that of SAS: Rogue Heroes season 1. That’s not to say SAS: Rogue Heroes isn’t a fantastic show, it it, but there’s always a little more to ranking shows like these than just looking at RT scores.
SAS: Rogue Heroes & Band Of Brothers Are Very Different Tonally
SAS: Rogue Heroes and Band of Brothers may both be set during World War II from the point of view of the Allies, but they are wildly different in tone. Band of Brothers isn’t necessarily reverential, one of the winning aspects of the show, but it’s more dramatic and melancholic. There are action-packed moments and true heroics, but the loss of life and innocence is generally foregrounded.
SAS: Rogue Heroes, on the other hand, is closer to Peaky Blinders. There’s a momentum and smirking quality to the show that works perfectly with the special forces angle of the series. Watch Band of Brothers if you want a powerful, compelling history of a group of soldiers bonded by their experience. Watch SAS: Rogue Heroes if you want a stylish, whip-smart depiction of the type of soldier who likes to keep trying their luck at every opportunity.
- Release Date
-
2001 – 2001
- Network
-
HBO
- Directors
-
David Frankel, David Nutter, Mikael Salomon, Phil Alden Robinson, Richard Loncraine, Tom Hanks
- Writers
-
Bruce C. McKenna, Graham Yost, John Orloff
-
Damian Lewis
Richard D. Winters
-
Donnie Wahlberg
C. Carwood Lipton
